Flu Prevention – Personal Hygiene Measures

How To Prevent Flu with Everyday Cleanliness

Nov 4, 2009

Flu Virus Spreads in Airborne Droplets, CDC/James Gathany

How to reduce the spread of influenza - and reduce your chance of getting the flu - through simple measures of personal hygiene and cleanliness habits.

Whether it's seasonal flu, avian flu, swine flu, novel H1N1 or whatever, influenza spreads in ways that are well known. Knowing how the virus spreads makes it possible to reduce, if not prevent, the transmission of the disease and thus cut down the risk of infection.

Flu Prevention Spread Via Airborne Droplets

Most people now know and practice good "respiratory etiquette." Essentially, this means:

Covering a cough or sneeze with a disposable tissue or, failing that, with the shoulder or upper arm
Properly disposing of used tissues
Washing hands after coughing, sneezing, or using tissues
Keeping ones hands away from ones eyes, nose, and mouth
Not touching others after coughing or sneezing into the hand

A diplomatic reminder (or even a stern reprimand, depending on circumstances) to family, friends, and co-workers can go a long way to reducing the spread of disease by airborne contamination.

Preventing Flu Spread via Personal Contact

Human beings for the most part enjoy social and personal contact. Hugs, handshakes, kisses, touches are displays of affection and modes of social interaction. During flu season, some people fear this and reduce such contact to a minimum. Since most flu is mild and short lasting, others consider this too drastic, a "cure worse than the disease."

Still, it's prudent to reduce the possible impact of personal contact, and the main method is hand cleansing, either with soap and warm water or an alcohol gel or other antiviral substance.

Wash hands before:

handling or eating food, or feeding others
brushing or flossing teeth
inserting or removing contact lenses
treating wounds or cuts

Wash hands after:

having contact with a person who has flu, or anything in their immediate environment
going to the toilet or helping a dependent at the toilet
changing a diaper
blowing the nose or wiping a child's nose
coughing or sneezing
handling garbage
handling items shared with others (toys, common equipment etc.)
treating wounds or cuts

Detailed instructions for washing hands are widely available on health sites such as Health Canada or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Flu Prevention via Infected Surfaces

According to the CDC, "influenza virus can survive on environmental surfaces and can infect a person for 2 to 8 hours after being deposited on the surface." (CDC, 2009 H1N1 Flu ("Swine Flu") and You, November 3, 2009). The CDC recommends the following:

Keep surfaces (especially bedside tables, surfaces in the bathroom, kitchen counters and toys for children) clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label.
Linens, eating utensils, and dishes belonging to those who are sick do not need to be cleaned separately, but importantly, these items should not be shared without washing thoroughly first.
Linens (such as bed sheets and towels) should be washed by using household laundry soap and tumbled dry on a hot setting. Individuals should avoid "hugging" laundry prior to washing it to prevent contaminating themselves. Individuals should wash their hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub immediately after handling dirty laundry.
Eating utensils should be washed either in a dishwasher or by hand with water and soap.

It is not listed on the CDC site, but some health authorities recommend using a tissue on the towel dispenser or to turn on and off the tap in a public restroom.

Make Flu Prevention an Annual Event

Every year, the flu season rolls around. Reduce the chances of catching it by practicing common personal and home hygiene. Show good respiratory etiquette by covering coughs. Reduce the risk of transmission by personal contact with frequent hand washing. Reduce the risk of transmission by cleaning possibly infected surfaces.